Grace Ellis (1)

Score! For a person who ordinarily struggles with the format of graphic novels, this series is the max, adorbs, the bomb, rad, peachy keen.

(I honestly don't know what kids say these days).

Anyway, I thought it was a more cohesive story, with great adventures in each issue. One of the things that was particularly enjoyable is that Counselor Jamie, Joan, Juanita, Jedidah, Jen has been brought into the loop. Chapter Five, 'Friendship to the Craft,' starts with a nice, safe, crafting activity and I laughed to see a diagram for making a simple friendship bracelet, the number one best way to advertise you've been to camp. Of course, magic powered beasts appear, and a little crafting saves the day. Also has a great tribute to Jurassic Park and damsel-in-distress scenes.


The ketchup blood cracked me up.

Chapter Six is 'Jail Break,' a capture-the-flag game (another camp staple) that goes somewhat wrong, but we finally get an idea what's behind the adventures the girls keep stumbling into. It has one of my favorite panels as well as an exclamation--"For the love of Sister Rosetta Tharpe" which--omg. How did I miss this guitar-playing, singing virtuoso? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeaBNAXfHfQ


Appropriate use of 'literally.'

Chapter 7, 'Friendship to the Max', has a escapade with tribute to Mission Impossible and a cliff-hanger ending. Another camp staple; I remember performing our own Waterfront Mission Impossible skit which brought the house down. Chapter 8, 'Space Jamborie,' is about astronomy, anagram problem-solving and sibling rivalry with an ultimate bash that was thankfully mildly anti-climactic after all the ridiculous adventures earlier.


I love that Jen knows everything.

Overall, I thought it even better than the first collection, with improvement in storyline and visual arrangement. It took most of the book to get names straight, however--Jen and Ripley were referred to a lot, and Mal almost not at all. In this series, we see more from Jo, who has something hidden; Molly, who wears a secret in plain sight; and the effervescent Ripley. Jen gets a chance to test out her rule-breaking, and I love the moments she has with Rosie, Camp Director (and fab visual riff on Rosie the Riveter). There's a little puppy-love kiss that has a nod to same-sex relationships. The collection edition has a set of cover pages done by different artists as well as an excerpt from another graphic novel centered on three college kids. Super-fun and entertaining. Can't wait to see where new adventures go.


Abuse of ultimate power… (more)

I’m really not one for graphic novels; the form generally misses me. But I kept seeing Lumberjanes appear on my feed, and the idea behind it always piqued my interest. Five girls camping at a residential girl scout camp with a hassled cabin leader and a intriguingly supportive camp director sounded both fun and familiar. Luckily, the library had a copy, and off I was to the adventures at Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types.

It was fun.



My first surprise was the take on Girl Scouts, beginning with a ‘Message from the High Council’ and the ‘Lumberjanes Pledge.’ I had to laugh because although I couldn’t tell you the Girl Scout pledge, I know there’s something about ‘God and country’ there, and this edition has a mock cross-out. I was always uncomfortable with that bit too, ladies. Chapter One starts with the ‘Up All Night’ badge, another fun take on the Girl Scout badge collection. It’s the kind of subtle satire that elevates it a bit above a grade school level. Billed as ‘young teen/teen,’ I wouldn’t have any problem letting a younger person read it, just note they might miss some of the subtext.



and possibly, fun but unfortunately obscure references.


Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman in space



At any rate, the Hardcore Lady Types have a lot to deal with: late night wanderings lead to mysterious encounters, a day on the river leads to a monster encounter, caving becomes puzzle-solving, and a simple hike leads to a strange tower and a nearby camp for boys. The last section is cover art from different editions, done by different artists. Each section/edition resolves one problem, while opening an opportunity for the next. Occasionally the messaging gets to be a little heavy, but since it’s a message I support, it wasn’t very bothersome.



The drawings are fun, blocky, elongated, lots of primary-type colors and not going for a lot of realism/depth. Occasionally they verge on the over-busy or are a little too stylized to help differentiate what is going on. Each chapter seems to have a general color scheme, blues, browns or greens. The story is intriguing, but the overarching story doesn’t come anywhere near to resolved. In fact, I’m not entirely sure about the world-building–are these monsters a surprise to the girls/staff? I don’t think it’s supposed to be imaginary.

Overall, it was super-cute. The girls are fast friends, each one perhaps appealing to a different demographic. When they get into deep trouble, they all team up–none of this ostracizing ‘Puffy runs away and is welcomed back to the group’ plot line. I confess I had my own fondness for Riley, the one who would leap into any situation in defense of her friends, even at her own risk. Honestly, it reminded me of the days watching Scooby-Doo and Wonder Twins. Craaaack! Pow! Onward!

Disclosure: I worked at a lumberjanes camp for two years, although I and my friends were on the staff side of things.

love always to Spryte, Pomme, Paddy, Flipper… (more)